There are moments when you can see comics evolving in front of you. You watch as talented creators pull the form in new directions, realizing graphic novels will never be the same.

John Porcellino’s From Lone Mountain will go down in comics history as one such moment.

The most apt description I can give you of Porcellino is that he has the soul of a poet. He admits his simple lines were influenced by Matt Groening’s Life in Hell, but it won’t take long for you to understand this is a creator who’s not satisfied repeating what others have accomplished.

You may remember his 2014 book Hospital Suite, which covered Porcellino’s many frustrating encounters with the U.S. health-care system. That book moved me, but From Lone Mountain is even more powerful.

His style fuses poetic musings with short comic strips. From Lone Mountain contains work drawn from his zine King Cat. What does he draw and write about? Autobiographical stuff, topics as deep as the death of his father to as seemingly innocuous as hearing a favourite song on the radio or being followed by a stray cat in an alley.

The comics are broken up with short prose pieces. All of it, his comics and his writing, has had a profound effect on me. Porcellino is one of those rare talents who has found new possibilities within an established art form — he’s that smart and perceptive.

It’s fitting that I’m reviewing From Lone Mountain on the cusp of a new year. This book is proof that originality is still possible and gives me hope for graphica in general.

If you’re any kind of comics fan, do yourself a favour: Get From Lone Mountain and treat yourself to a glimpse of the future.